Problem: 3 glue sticks cost $4.83. Which equation would help determine the cost of 14 glue sticks?
There are several equations that could help determine the cost, each with a slightly different approach. We know the cost of 3 glue sticks. We want to know the cost of 14 glue sticks. We can write the numbers of glue sticks as a proportion: $\dfrac{3}{14}$ We know 3 glue sticks costs $4.83. We can let $x$ represent the unknown cost of 14 glue sticks. The proportion of these costs can be expressed as: $\dfrac{\$4.83}{x}$ The cost changes along with the number of glue sticks purchased, and so the two proportions are equivalent. $\dfrac{3}{14} = \dfrac{\$4.83}{x}$